


Fascination

by Shattered_Heartless



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alya Césaire Is The Best, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, F/M, Gamer Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Identity Reveal, Jealous Lila Rossi, Lila Rossi Bashing, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Original Character(s), Protective Chloe Decker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23729269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattered_Heartless/pseuds/Shattered_Heartless
Summary: Marinette and Adrien are two college students trying to move on from their troubled pasts. Who knew playing a video game would change so much?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 14
Kudos: 45
Collections: April 2020 - AU





	1. The One Where We Meet Online

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BurnDaBreadGetDaGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurnDaBreadGetDaGirl/gifts).



Marinette

Marinette Dupain-Cheng flopped onto her couch. Well, Chloé’s couch, but who cares? She knew University was going to be tough, but she never expected it to be this stressful. Then again, everything seemed stressful these days. Especially after Luka left, Marinette thought as the pain threatened to rise again. 

“What are you doing?” The judgemental voice of Chloé Bourgeois came from the direction of their shared bathroom. 

Marinette groaned as she lifted her head to glare in the direction of her former bully now friend slash roommate. “What anyone does when they are tired,” she retorted.

Chloé rounded the corner and eyed the overwhelmed design student. After Chloé’s parents cut her off, she and Marinette signed up for a dorm together. Unbeknown to Marinette, Chloé had tasked herself with making sure Marinette was handling what happened with Luka as well as she could. “It’s Sunday night karaoke and you plan on just laying there?”

Marinette shrugged, “Maybe I will get up and grab some junk food or something.” She wasn’t kidding, she was in a bad mood and meant every word.

Alya Césaire entered their dorm, still brushing her hair out as she took in the sight before her. She had been friends with Marinette since she changed schools in the ninth grade and the designer never failed to amaze her. Whether it was Marinette’s talent or her kindness to others, Alya always found herself admiring Marinette’s resolve to never give up until good prevailed. But like Chloé, Alya knew the past six months had been particularly hard on Marinette.

Alya set her hair brush down on the coffee table and placed her hands on her hips. “Come on,” she demanded. “We are going to get you freshened up and look presentable. Then you will join us for karaoke night.”

Marinette stared at her lockscreen, a picture of her and Luka on their one year anniversary set as the background. “Luka liked to sing,” she sighed. 

Chloé scratched the back of her own neck awkwardly while Alya sat next to Marinette and started to rub her back comfortingly. “I understand it’s hard to move on, but you can’t just sit here and be depressed. If you are not gonna go out with us, at least try to do something fun here.”

Marinette grumbled, not completely listening to her friend but sitting up nonetheless. Chloé stepped over and placed her arm over Marinette in an awkward hug. “We are here for you, but you need to let us in at some point so that we can help you. Just promise us you won’t just sit here and torture yourself over about,” Chloé hesitated mentioning Luka for a moment. “ _ Him _ .”

Marinette sighed, “I will do something. Or I might just go sleep, it’s been a rough week.” 

Alya nodded approvingly, “Just don’t do anything depressing, okay?” Marinette nodded and her friends finally left her alone. Marinette threw herself back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Alya and Chloé were right.

What could she possibly do that would convince her to get off this couch? As if in answer, her stomach growled in a very unlady-like manner. Marinette smiled in spite of herself. As hunger began to overtake her mind Marinette mentally browsed through her various options for dinner. 

  
  


Adrien

For the fifth time since he came home, Adrien Agreste peered through the blinds, expecting to see hordes of fangirls everytime. Or worse, his father. Nino noticed his bro’s paranoia and shook his head. “Dude, you got to chill out. No one knows you are here except us. We got you a new bank account and everything. Our landlord is cool with keeping your location secret. Also let’s be real: your fanbase has grown a lot less rabid since you stopped modeling. With your deadbeat father unable to put out new pictures of you, the masses have moved on to find something else.”

Adrien sighed, forcing himself to move away from the window. “That doesn’t solve the Kagami problem.”

“Yeah, she did not take that break up well at all!” Nino shuddered at the memory of Kagami holding her practice foil to his throat, demanding him to tell her why Adrien didn’t love her the way she loved him.

“Maybe because she was convinced that’s how relationships work.” Adrien groaned, resisting the temptation to check outside again. While he was still in his father’s custody, Adrien had been forced into a relationship with Kagami in order to improve business relations with her mother’s fabric company. Kagami had thrown herself into the  _ relationship _ , eagerly choosing to believe it was how people fell in love. Adrien never understood why Kagami tried so hard, but he didn’t regret breaking things off when he did.

When Adrien turned eighteen, he’d immediately left home. He had gained access to both his trust fund and the money he earned through modeling giving him the ability to survive comfortably for sometime. Adrien did his best to distance himself from his father and the Agreste Brand, even deleting all his work accounts and blocking Gabriel’s contact numbers. Gabriel made a few attempts to approach him in person, but that resulted in a restraining order. 

Kagami however, was much more difficult to get away from, driven by a crazed obsession with Adrien. She had the tendency to find his house and wait for him to step outside to tackle him or break in to wait for him to come home. Kagami always demanded they get back together, stating it was destiny for her and him to be together. And Kagami wouldn’t let a restraining order get in her way. As a result, Adrien had been moving constantly in an attempt to lose her. This was the fourth apartment he had moved into in the past year, The lease was under Nino’s name in an attempt to hide the fact that Adrien was also living here. He even had a look alike living in his last one home, hoping Kagami wouldn’t realize he had moved to the other side of Paris.

Nino shook his head at the memory of finding police at Adrien’s first apartment, the lock on the front door broken. Adrien had been pretty shaken at the time, not expecting Kagami to take their break up that badly. “Let’s just hope the security we got installed here is enough to keep her out. Or at least catch her in the act.”

“She isn’t a criminal, Nino,” Adrien insisted. “Kagami just needs some help in realizing how the world works outside of business.” 

Nino shrugged as his phone went off, a reminder popping up on his screen for the karaoke night he was hosting in the bar on campus. “Okay, well that karaoke thing is tonight. You should come and meet some new people.”

Adrien snorted, “And telegraph my location to Kagami or my father? No thanks, I am staying here.”

“Whatever dude, just remember that you have to go outside sometime.” Grabbing his jacket, Nino headed out. Adrien got up right away and locked the door but not before peering outside one last time. Turning back around, Adrien realized they didn’t have any groceries. Groaning, Adrien turned on his laptop and began searching for options. Finding a pizza place he liked, Adrien made his order and opened up a new search tab. Hopefully he could find something to kill the time while waiting for dinner.

  
  


Marinette 

Setting her phone down, Marinette turned on her desktop computer. She had a half hour to kill before her pizza would arrive. The first idea that popped up in her mind was Ultra Mecha Strike. Marinette froze as she stared at the shortcut, memories of gaming with Luka flooding back into her mind. Guilt crept up on her as she remembered the way he pouted when she always won…

Marinette shook herself out of it. “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts,” Marinette told herself as she got rid of the Ultra Mecha Strike shortcut. Sad thoughts attracted evil purple butterflies, the old tale went.

She had told Alya and Chloé that she wouldn’t let herself fall into a depressed state while they were out. Marinette began searching for other options when an idea popped in her mind: play a new PvP game. It had been sometime since Marinette had tried out a new one and with her social life basically being non existent, it would be a great way to kill the time.

Marinette opened a search tab and googled top ten PvP games that were free. She found herself scrolling through the list, reading each one's description with interest. One in particular caught her eye: Ultra Mecha Strike III; the newest game in the franchise. Marinette looked it up on Steam and was surprised to find it being given out for free that very week. She had one day to add the game to her library before the free period ended. Marinette took this as a sign that this would be a good game to give a whirl. She started downloading the game.

She had thirty minutes for the game to download and her pizza to be delivered. Marinette checked over her assignments and made notes on what she needed to do for projects that week. She’d lost track of time by the time her phone rang, jerking her out of her thoughts. Marinette answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Hi, I am in the lobby with a pizza for Marinette.”

“That’s me, I’ll be right down.” When Marinette entered the campus dorm’s lobby, a young delivery driver was holding a box of pizza waiting patiently for her. Marinette handed her the cash, then took the pizza. “Keep the change,” she said with a smile. 

The young girl gave Marinette a grateful smile, “Thanks, college tuition is a bitch.” With that, she left, leaving Marientte to return to her dorm alone again. Marinette walked back over to her computer, a notification on the monitor informing her that the game had finished downloading. 

Marinette eagerly started the game, grabbing a slice of pizza as it booted up. The first thing she ended up doing in the game was customize her mecha. Marinette decided to set her new profile’s name as Ladybug, the nickname her mother called her as a girl. Marinette smiled at the memory of her mother finding her wrapped up blankets as a child, saying that Marinette was hibernating just like a Ladybug. She quickly began giving it the red paint job, adding the black spots along its body. 

The game asked Marinette to choose her melee weapon, offering her a sword, a quarterstaff and a shield. Marinette chose the sword, deciding it was her best option for now. Then it asked her to choose a ranged weapon: a railgun, a grenade launcher or a rocket launcher. Marinette chose the rocket launcher, remembering it from the previous Ultra Mecha Strike game she played. 

Next was her ultimate, offering the starter abilities: Mirage, Shelter, and Venom. Mirage would allow her to spawn a duplicate of herself to distract her opponent, but would break up into a cloud of dust after a single hit. It can evolve to spawn up to five duplicates that had higher health and could perform ranged attacks. Shelter spawned a shield in front of her for fifteen seconds, blocking attacks from the front while allowing her to still shoot back at them. It could be further upgraded to form a dome around her team for thirty seconds. Venom paralyzed her opponent for ten seconds, immobilizing them while she could recover or lay on the damage. It could be evolved to affect the entire enemy team for thirty seconds. Marinette decided to choose Venom for her starter ultimate.

The game offered her numerous combat combos and strategies, some even were made by the top ten players. Marinette felt overwhelmed by all the combat combos she was given, having been out of the game for some time. She opened the forum and typed:

**Ladybug:** does anyone here know how combat works?

She didn’t have to wait long before people started replying, but the responses weren’t exactly what she was hoping for. 

**Shatershook:** oh great another freaking noob

**Angel Killer:** noobs still exist? why do they even bother trying?

Numerous similarly minded comments poured in, discouraging Marinette. She was about to give up when the most recent comment caught her eye, standing out amidst the noob bashing.

**Chat Noir:** hey Ladybug! i am also new to this, wanna match up together?

**Ladybug:** yes! how do we send requests?

**Chat Noir:** i’ll send you a request, it should pop up

Sure enough, a small window popped up, asking Marinette if she wanted to accept Chat Noir’s friend request. She clicked the checkbox, accepting the invite to his friend list.

**Chat Noir:** why hello there mlady

Marinette giggled to herself, whomever was controlling that character was definitely a flirt.

**Ladybug:** haha hi there stray kitty

**Chat Noir:** having trouble with figuring out skills?

**Ladybug:** yeah I dont want to make any decisions I might regret later

**Chat Noir:** well what role do you want to fill? 

**Ladybug:** a ranged attacker and healer

**Chat Noir:** then you should choose the moves that stick out to you. Then focus on mastering those moves for now.

**Ladybug:** okay what about leveling up?

**Chat Noir:** each match gives you xp, the amount depending if you win or lose

**Ladybug:** okay thanks! Do you want to do a private match together?

**Chat Noir:** that would be pawsome! I already found the purrfect arena for us to duel in

**Ladybug:** someone is eager to get beat :p send me the invite! 

Her mecha entered an area, Chat Noir’s mecha striding over to her. His mecha was almost completely black with green detailing. He had a quarterstaff and railgun equipped, Shelter selected as his ultimate. Chat Noir drew his quarterstaff, prompting her to draw her sword and charge.

_ A few hours later… _

Marinette felt herself sag in relief as the last bit of Chat Noir’s health bar was erased by her triple slash combo. They sparred for hours and Marinette felt like they were definitely improving, teaming up against bots every now and then. She smirked as she typed out a challenge to Chat Noir.

**Ladybug:** hey, are you ever going to be able to beat me?

**Chat Noir:** funny, maybe I was taking it easy on you this time so watch out! Another round?

Marinette grinned, feeling the excitement growing inside her. Despite being ignored by the other players, she and Chat Noir had managed to pull through. Marinette was about to suggest they do another match when she heard Alya or Chloé unlocking the front door, no doubt just returning from karaoke night.

**Ladybug:** sorry gtg, roommates are home. wanna team up again sometime?

**Chat N** **oir:** sure! it was awesome

**Ladybug:** okay, c u around, bye!

Marinette closed down the game as a flustered Alya stumbled into her room. “What’s up, Alya?” The redhead didn’t respond, dropping onto Marinette’s bed and passing out almost immediately. Chloé peaked in with a smirk on her face. “What’s wrong with Alya?” Marinette asked Chloé.

The blonde snickered, “She thought the DJ was cute and didn’t expect him to flirt back. Ended up discovering she is a light weight as well.”

  
  


Adrien

Adrien stared at his final message, sad it didn’t get marked as read before Ladybug logged off. 

**Chat Noir:** wanna chat sometime outside of game?

Adrien turned his gaze to his mecha, lost in thought about Ladybug. It wasn’t a total lost, he still made a new friend online, maybe they could play together again. Adrien found himself smiling like an idiot.

At that very moment, Nino burst in. “Dude, we are cursed. Why is every girl that seems interested in us crazy?”


	2. The One Where He met an Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien bumps into an angel.

Marinette

Despite the late night, Marinette felt a bit more up beat as she waited for her printer to finish printing her ads. She was headed to campus to start posting ads for a model position. She was going to need one in future semesters if she was going to display her designs properly and look good and she wanted to post them as early as possible. Marinette felt a kind of shallow asking for someone fit and in shape, but unfortunately this is the world of fashion and her teachers had a certain taste. 

Gathering her ads, Marinette headed out of the dorm, passing a still flustered and hung over Alya making herself coffee in the little kitchenette. Marinette giggled to herself, it took alot to get Alya flustered like that, much less stay flustered the morning after, and she knew she wouldn’t mind meeting the culprit. 

Campus was quiet and empty when she arrived, the staff preparing for the students to pour in. Marinette set up her posters along the bulletin boards students were supposed to use to avoid random posters all over campus. She managed to squeeze hers in between an ad for LAN parties run by someone named Nino in a computer lab on campus and a job opening at the student council runned coffee bar  _ The Daily Grind _ .

Satisfied that her own ads were visible, Marinette began to head out, only to bump into another student. Both them fell, the other student’s papers scattering all over the floor. “Sorry,” Marinette apologized as she helped them pick up their papers again. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Marinette said as she handed the papers to their owner, a green-eyed, brunette, italian girl. 

“It’s okay, I’m sure you weren't trying to do anything macilous,” the other girl reassured her. “Posting an ad?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit early, but I need to start looking for someone to model my designs. Then when those assignments come around, I’ll be ready for them hopefully,” Marinette explained. She cocked her head at the other girl, asking her, “What’s your major?”

“Business, I’m not entirely sure which career path I want to take,” the other girl replied, shrugging. “I guess you could say I am a trust fund baby just trying to prove mommy and daddy wrong,” she laughed. 

Marinette laughed with her, “I’m sure you are more than just that. I met trust fund babies before and you seem nothing like them, which is a good thing. You just need to take some time and figure out who you are without them.”

The other girl blushed slightly at the comment, her eyes widening. “Tha-thank you-ou! That me-eans alot to hea-ear that!” she said, a stutter starting to show in her voice. 

Marinette gave her a warm smile, “I got to go, but I’ll see you around?” The girl nodded, not trusting herself to say anything. 

Marinette started to leave, then the girl called to her, “Wait, sorry wha-at was your name?”

“Marinette.”

“I’m Lila,” Lila said, doing her best not to flush red in front of Marinette.

Marinette smiled at her, “See you around, Lila!” She turned back around to 

Lila simply waved after her, not trusting herself to say anything more. Once Marinette was out of sight, Lila read the ad she had posted. “Hmm, maybe sooner than you think,” Lila mused out loud, taking the flyer back to her dorm with her. Marinette needed a model, Lila wanted to see more of Marinette. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

  
  


Adrien

Adrien groaned as the sunlight poured into his apartment, making him narrow his eyes as he walked over to the kitchen to make coffee. Waiting for him there was a way to hyper Nino, literally shaking with nervous energy. “Good morning,” Adrien grumbled, glaring at the empty coffee pot. 

“Dude, I met this amazing girl last night! She was crazy hot and flirted with me, but when I tried to flirt back, she left right away. She might as well run out of the room.”

“Nino, care to explain why the coffee pot is empty while you only have half a cup in your hand?” Adrien asked, not awake enough to deal with Nino’s troubled love life just yet.

“And her voice, dude, she sang like an angel. Sure she wasn’t sober but she can sing!” Nino exclaimed loudly.

“How much coffee did you drink?” Adrien asked suspiciously, looking from empty pot to Nino and to the cup in his trembling hands.

"I try to strike up a conversation and she freaks out, rushing out like the place was on fire. I didn't even get her name," Nino groaned. "Dude, whatever curse you have, it got passed on to me."

"Nino, I severely doubt that," Adrien reassured him at last, giving up on morning coffee. As he turned to face his friend Adrien saw a camera flash in the corner of his eye and caught a glimpse of something moving outside. “If you did, then she would have been staring through the window at you right now. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna figure out who is outside the apartment right now and hopefully stop them from telegraphing my location to Kagami.”

Nino instantly jerked out of his daze, looking out the window behind him. “You think it was Kagami?” 

“I hope not, maybe it was a fangirl who will at least let me go to class. I hope.” Adrien opened the front door and peered outside. The girl that stood outside the window squeaks in panic as her gaze quickly darted around as if looking for an escape. “Hey, wait a minute!” Adrien called out to her. 

The girl’s very thin lips grew slack in panic and awe as she looked at him. She shook her head as if to clear her mind, her shoulder length hair swinging behind her large ears uncertainty showing in her eyes. “You’re not mad, are you?” she asked, fear in her voice as she rubbed her well formed nose and puffy cheeks.

Adrien shook his head as he walked over to her, “No, I just want to ask that you don’t tell anyone you saw me here.” Once he was closer, Adrien noticed she was a head shorter than him, with narrow shoulders, a wide torso, and broad hips. A flush covered her triangular face, from the root of her hair to her round chin as he stepped within arm length of her.She seemed to be around the same age as him, give or take a year or two.

The girl sputtered nervously, her hazel eyes looking away from him as her hands shook, “But everyone wants to know.”

“Including my crazy ex-girlfriend who doesn’t care about restraining orders,” Adrien replied dryly. “Look, I’m not some big celebrity anymore. I’m not a model for the  _ Gabriel  _ brand anymore, I’m just a university student taking in a business program now. Even the paparazzi lost interest in me.”

She looked curious as she tilted her face and asked, “Why would you leave it all behind? Especially with so many people wanting to be with you now that you are single again?”

“My previous modeling career and being single are not mutually exclusive,” Adrien retorted before he caught himself. “I’m just not ready to jump into another relationship yet. I broke the last one because I was forced into it,” Adrien explained. “I just want to live a normal life with a bit of privacy.”

The girl looked at him cautiously, then sighed, “Okay, I won’t post anything about you living here. I will also delete the, um.” She blushed a deep shade of red, clearing her throat as she continued, “the pictures I took of you.”

Adrien gave her a grateful smile, “Thank you, um.” He cocked his head sideways at her, asking, “Sorry, what was your name?”

“June,” she told him, stilling blushing. Without another word she rushed off.

  
  


Marinette

When Marinette returned to her dorm room, she found Alya was no longer there. She knocked on Chloé’s door, “Chlo, did Alya leave?”

The blonde called out from inside, “Yeah, it suddenly clicked in her brain that her first class was this morning. You should have seen her high tail it out here.”

“Uh huh. I’m gonna grab a bite to eat, then I have to get to class,” Marinette called back, moving to the kitchen and opening for the fridge door then the freezer trying to figure out what to have for breakfast. She settled for one of the frozen waffles from the freezer and popped it into the toaster. One of the many alarms she had set on her phone went off, causing Marinette to jump into action and dash into her room to grab her tablet and sketchbook. She quickly grabbed her breakfast and rushed out the door. 

A few moments later, a very confused Chloé exited her room, unable to comprehend how the young designer was in and out so quickly. “Have a nice day, I guess,” she mused out loud.

Marinette rushed out of the student dorms and back to the main building, wishing she had just eaten before she left with her flyers. Then she could have gone straight to class afterwards. Hindsight is a bitch, Marinette thought to herself. Suddenly tears started to form in her eyes, as she remembered a tall blue haired guitarist who had once said the same thing to her.

Just as the pain threatened to over take her, another student bumped into her. The two of them fell to the ground, Marinette ending up on top of him. Her bluebell eyes met his green ones, both of them freezing for a moment as they forgot the world around them. Then Marinette blushed a deep shade of red and quickly got up. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she sputtered out. 

“It’s okay, I wasn’t looking either,” the boy apologized, his cheeks also flushing slightly.

“I-I gotta g-go,” Marinette stuttered, quickly getting off him. Without another word, she rushed off to her class, not hearing the words the boy called out to her. She wiped the single tear rolling down her cheek, then entered her morning lecture class. Taking a seat near the wall, Marinette started her tablet and opened a new OneNote page as the professor entered the classroom.

  
  


Adrien

Adrien watched the flustered girl rush off, calling out, “Wait! Are you okay?” She didn’t look back, rushing around a corner and out of sight. Adrien attempted to follow her, but quickly lost her in the crowd. He sighed, guilt building up inside of him as he remembered the tear rolling down her cheek, the look of hurt in her bluebell eyes. He wasn’t paying attention and ended up hurting her. 

As he went into his own class, Adrien did his best to remember what she looked like. Her hair seemed to be a shade of midnight blue, like how black hair appeared in a cartoon. She was maybe half a head shorter than him and appeared to be half chinese with a light skin colour. And a small cluster of freckles along her nose, making her look so adora…

“Is someone sitting here?” a flirty feminine voice came from behind him. Adrien turned to see a tall blue-eyed blonde standing behind him, giving him a confident, almost sexy smirk. He opened his mouth, then closed it as he realized he didn’t know what to say. Fangirls, Adrien can handle, a confident girl who didn’t seem fazed by his identity was a different case. She snorted and flipped her hair as she sat down next to him, “I’ll take that as a no then.” She held out a hand to him, “I’m Chloé, though you probably know that from all the tabloids being posted about me.”

“Sorry, I don’t read those anymore,” Adrien commented carefully, hoping she wouldn’t recognize him. The name definitely sounded familiar now that Adrien thought about it, everyone in Paris heard about Chloé and how she had a fallout with her parents. What the media wasn’t able to find out was her current where-abouts.

Chloé opened her mouth to make some snide comment most likely, but closed it as the professor started talking in the front. She pulled out a notebook and jotted a few things down, prompting Adrien to do the same.

  
  


Marinette

Marinette managed to avoid bumping into anymore people for the rest of day, finishing her workshop class and buying dinner from an on campus fast food place. When she finally returned to the dorm with her supper in hand, Marinette found Chloé wasn’t there yet. Most likely already joining some kind of drama club, Marinette mused to herself. Deciding she had nothing better to do at the moment, she started up her computer when she heard a knock on her dorm door. 

Marinette opened the door and immediately choked on the foul stench that flowed in. A tall jockish senior stood there grinning smugly at her. “Hear you looking for a model. I could be  _ persuaded  _ into modeling for you, if you know what I mean.”

Marinette gave him a sweet disarming smile and said calmly, “No.” She promptly slammed the door in his face and locked it, ignoring the rude insults coming through the door. She called out, “If you want a shot at modeling then learn some manners and take a shower!” Giving the rude senior no more of her time, Marinette walked back to her room where her dinner and an escape from reality awaited her.

Logging in the game, Marinette started looking to see if Chat Noir was online. He was in a training match with two bots. And seemed to be losing badly somehow. Taking pity on him, Marinette joined his training match and ambushed the bots. She used Venom to paralyze one of them and attacked the other. This allowed Chat Noir to recover and activate Shelter. Mere minutes later, the Ladybug and Chat Noir mechas stood victorious over the training bots.

**Ladybug:** looks like someone is having trouble getting by without me :p

**Chat Noir:** i could have taken them 

**Ladybug:** uh huh uh huh

**Chat Noir:** so whats brings you chasing after this stray on this lovely evening?   
  


Marinette blushed lightly, grateful that Chat couldn’t see the embarrassed look on her face. He wasn’t wrong she realized, the first thing she did when she signed in was to try and find him. Not that she would ever admit that to him.

**Ladybug:** just so you know i happened to see you online and decided i would see if you needed any help. Guess you are not worth my attention then

**Chat Noir:** yet you are still here talking to me

**Ladybug:** waiting for my reward for saving your life

**Chat Noir:** we could team up for a PvP match

**Ladybug:** hmm i deem this a worthy offering

**Ladybug:** lead on mortal

Marinette grinned as she accepted the group invite from Chat Noir and followed him into the PvP arena they were sent to, excited to have some more fun.

_ A few hours later… _

Marinette grinned as they mopped up the final opponent in the last match they queued up for. This was the seventeenth match they played that night, having only lost two of them to more experienced players. Marinette smiled as she eyed her now level nine Ladybug mecha, the in game currency reward from their victories making her feel proud. Marinette knew she was going to have to take some time picking out new gear and upgrades for her ultimate to purchase. Looking at her clock, Marinette decided that she would have to wait until the next time she had time to log in.

**Ladybug:** okay, your debt is paid but i need to go offline now. 

**Chat Noir:** wait!

**Ladybug:** what?? i need my beauty sleep

**Chat Noir:** obviously, it’s what keeps you pretty

Marinette blushed, unable to type out a reply. She still wasn’t sure if she liked Chat Noir’s flirting but it was still able to break her mind even if they couldn’t see each other. Chat Noir seemed to pick up on the fact too.

**Chat Noir:** Oh no, i broke you

**Chat Noir:** please respond!

**Chat Noir:** lone kitty on a roof

**Ladybug:** i’m here! what did you want to talk about?

**Chat Noir:** i wanted to start a discord server with, so we can chat more often

Marinette frowned. What on earth is discord?


	3. The One Where She Got Mail

Marinette: Week 2

“Mari! Your boyfriend is texting you again!” Chloé singsonged teasingly. 

“Chloé, I told you he’s just a very good friend,” Marinette groaned as she set down the new ads she printed and held her hand out for her phone, regretting that she told Chloé about Chat Noir.

“A very good friend that calls you  _ bugaboo _ ?” Chloé asked dryly, raising an eyebrow. “Oh and he says good morning.”

Marinette snatched her phone away from Chloé and started typing out a reply. It had been nearly a week since Marinette agreed to join a discord server with Chat Noir. A week full of gifs, memes, flirty comments and ridiculous memes of all sorts. It was like he could only share the fun side of himself online, but not in the real world. It had taken her two days to find the mute option for different channels, but then he would make a new one to get her attention. At times, Marinette swore he was like a cat, constantly trying to get their owner’s attention. Eventually, Marinette just ended up muting the app inorder to get any work done and stay on schedule.

When the intercom by the door buzzed, Chloé answered it rudely with a, “What!” but amended to “Can I help you?” at Marinette’s reprimanding look.

“Package for Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” the bored voice of the desk clerk sounded over the speaker.

“Okay, I’ll be right down,” Marinette called towards the speaker after exchanging looks of confusion and shrugs with the platinum blonde. “I didn’t order anything, did you?” she asked Chloé once she disconnected the call. 

“No, maybe someone sent you something?” 

Marinette shrugged and pulled on her sneakers, “I guess I’ll have to go and find out.” She exited the dorm and headed down to the lobby, smiling at a few people as she went. 

Waiting for her was a courier like those that corporate companies usually employ. He looked at a picture on his clipboard and asked, “Are you Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” when she approached him. 

“Yes, that is me,” Marinette confirmed.

“Please sign here,” he stated, holding out the clipboard and a pen for her to use. Marinette signed, noting the sender wasn’t listed on the form. She handed back to him and accepted the large box from him. He turned to leave without another word.

“Wait! Who is this from?” Marinette called out to him after checking the address label on the box and finding only her information.

The courier turned and shrugged, “Sorry, the sender said they want to remain anonymous.” The previously stoic man gave her a knowing smile before continuing. “But I think you have a secret admirer.” He didn’t wait for her to process his comment and before he turned away again. Marinette pondered on the statement as she headed back to her dorm to open it in private.

Chloé’s eyes widened when she saw the massive box in Marinette’s hands. “Who sent it?” she asked as she grabbed a knife for Marinette.

Marinette shrugged, “Apparently I have a secret admirer already.” She accepted the knife and carefully cut the tape on the box. She still had a scab on her thumb from when they first moved into the dorm and Chloé wouldn’t let her hear the end of it if she cut herself trying to open a box again. 

Marinette’s eyes widened as she stared at the contents. On the top of the stack was a box of coloured pencils. Marinette carefully took the box out, feeling her heart beat faster as she read the  _ Faver-Castell  _ logo on the black wooden case. Marinette opened the case, holding her breath as she gazed upon the high quality watercolor pencils.

Chloé gave her drooling roommate a concerned look, unaware what the big deal about a set of coloured pencils was. She knew Marinette already had a set in her bag and a backup set in her desk. What was the point of one more? “Mari,” she asked cautiously. “Are you okay? It’s just another set of coloured pencils.”

Marinette glanced at Chloé, tears of joy starting to stream down her face. “Chloé, these are not just any ordinary coloured pencils. These are top of the line, one of the best sets you can buy!” Marientte’s face paled as she realized what was sent to her. “Oh my god. Som-someone spent over three hun-hundred euros on this and  _ j-just  _ gave it to me,” she stammered out, face flushed a deep crimson.

Chloé placed a steadying hand on Marinette, helping her sit down in a chair. “Take it easy, Mari. Maybe someone in charge of a big fashion brand wants to see your talent grow with the proper tools,” Chloé reasoned. 

Marinette nodded, inhaling deeply before examining the remaining contents of the box. There was a brand new sketchbook with a sticky note placed on top.  _ Hope this helps you pursue your dreams!  _ The handwriting was neat though a certain adorning curve  and the i’s dotted with hearts , gave Marinette a feel of femininity. There was no way to know who the package could come from, besides running everyone she knew through a handwriting analysis, of course. She didn’t focus on the identity of her new admirer, they would reveal themselves in time. As Marinette continued to gush over the gifts, Chloé rolled her eyes and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Her friend was weird.

  
  


Adrien: Week 3

Adrien grinned at his phone, examining every message Ladybug sent him for any new bit of information about her real life self. She knew how to banter with him and always laughed at his jokes. And she was a total badass in the game, leading them on a winning streak for the past two weeks. She was so good that they had already won legendary weapons. Legendary weapons and gear pieces were one of a kind, only available as prizes in the tournaments runned by the game. 

They participated in two, gaining the gear pieces  **_Chat Claws_ ** and  **_Ladybug Swarm_ ** . Adrien got to keep the  **_Chat Claws_ ** , a pair of special gloves that gave his melee and critical damage a massive boost. Ladybug naturally took the  **_Ladybug Swarm_ ** , a hip attachment that launches swarms of ladybugs to repair Ladybug or her selected teammate. 

Adrien was especially excited for the upcoming special tournament that offered **_The Magnus Hammer._** The new legendary weapon that was up for grabs offered an increased melee damage, as well as a knockback effect. If the wielder managed to hit their opponent with a heavy hit, their opponent would be knocked over and stunned momentarily. It also is also capable of dealing bonus electrical damage to the targeted opponent. Adrien was sure they would have zero trouble winning the competition and adding another legendary to their arsenal.   
  
He trembled with excitement as he started to type out his resume for _The Daily Grind,_ the coffee bar on campus _The Daily Grind_. He didn’t need the money, but Adrien wanted to have a real job instead of being another _stuck up lazy rich kid_ who got everything on a silver platter. Adrien’s nervousness over being publicly recognized slowly slipped away when, over the course of the two weeks, no paparazzi chased after him demanding a story. Neither he nor nino spotted Kagami, which Adrien found odd but decided not to question his sudden luck. The luck needed to be taken advantage of and he thought applying for a job was the best way to do so. He didn’t need the money, but Adrien wanted to have a real job instead of being another _stuck up lazy rich kid_ who got everything on a silver platter. 

When he told Nino about his great idea Nino mentioned that sometimes there were good job postings on the bulletin boards around campus and he decided to check those out. He found one of the boards and scanned through the signs. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Nino’s LAN parties posters. There were a few other ads but only two caught his attention. The advertisement for the open barista position at  _ The Daily Grind,  _ the coffee bar on campus, and one that stated boldly:  __ **Model Needed!** Reading through the second one, Adrien learned that a fashion design student named Marinette was looking for a model to use in future projects and advertising her designs to big designers. He frowned at the advertisement, debating for a moment. This student clearly needed someone who knew how to model and it  _ was _ one of his greatest skills. Adrien shook the thought from his head immediately, he left modeling behind with his father’s company. Barista was something he decided he could do and tore the ad from the wall.

He trembled with excitement as he started to type out his resume for  _ The Daily Grind _ . His resume was a depressing sight, his years as a model were the only thing he listed under ‘experience’.

  
He pulled out the modeling ad from his desk from his desk. In the end he hadn’t been able to walk away from the bulletin board without tearing it from the wall too. He kept it on his desk at his apartment. If the coffee shop didn’t work out, he figured he could always model again.

Adrien rushed off to drop his resume off at the coffee shop on his way to class as soon as he finished typing. No one was out front when he arrived so he left his resume and application letter on the edge of the counter. He hoped someone would see it as he sped to class.

Later that day, June had just finished cleaning up the shop when she noticed the envelope sitting on the counter. Opening it curiously, June screamed as she read the name at the top of the resume. Some students that were present after their night classes gave her curious looks, then went back to their activities. June was left alone to process the fact that her celebrity crush was applying for the barista position at the same coffee shop she worked at.

  
  


Nino: Week 3

_ It happened when he was  _ exiting the library with the books he needed for research. Nino felt a lump catch in his throat when he saw her: the angel from karaoke night. She hugged a stack of books and notebooks with one hand and her phone in the other, texting away furiously. Nino discovered he was too slow to move out of the way before she collided with him. Their books tumbled to the ground as he threw his arms out barely catching her in his arms. Apologies caught in his throat and he found himself getting lost in her bewildered stare. “H-hi!” Nino greeted a bit too loudly, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks.

Alya felt her own face heat up as she stared back at boy she had failed to ask out the night before. “Hi.” They gawked at each other for a moment that was both too long and too short where neither of them was sure what to do. In the end it was she who figured out their next course of action. She cleared her throat, a signal that she was halfheartled trying to break free of the arms that wrapped around her. 

The signal worked. Nino realized he was still holding her and forced his arms to release her within seconds. He stammered an apology as he separated their books into their respective pile. “Sorry, I-I just…”

“Got lost in my eyes?” Alya prompted, feeling bold after seeing him flustered.

Nino paused in his sorting to look her dead in the eyes and brazenly proclaim, “Yes.” 

He smirked when she dropped to her knees and began helping him sort the books. Alya, her face growing as red as her hair. quickly stacked up the remainder of her belongings and fled. A flabbergasted Nino was left to kneel in the middle of the hall to torture himself with his thoughts.  _ Way to go, Lahiffe. You scared her off. _

“Hey.” Her voice cut through his thoughts, causing him to search for her. He found her but was was surprised to see that only her torso leaned out from the corner of the hall, her lower body still behind the wall, almost as if she was ready to bolt. . “You want to get a coffee sometime?” Nino couldn’t say yes faster. No, he literally couldn't say it faster. He had to repeat himself twelve times before Alya finally understood that he said yes.

  
  


Marinette: Week 3

“Package for Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” the bored voice of the receptionist sounded from the speaker again.

“Be right down,” Marinette replied after shooting Chloé a questioning look. This was the third time a package had arrived for Marinette without either of them making an order. The last two, like the first, didn’t list the sender. They, for some reason, wanted to keep their identity anonymous. The second package had been a large selection of expensive yarns and threads, the grand total of their worth far outside of Marinette’s price range. 

Chloé and Alya had voiced their concern that Marinette may be targeted by a stalker attempting to lower her guard. Marinette shrugged them off, not worried since no demands or notes had been attached to the gifts. The last package was slightly smaller but heavier than the previous ones. Marinette was still able to move the box on her own though, thanks to years of carrying bags around her parents’ bakery. Marinette gasped at the contents: a top end sewing machine. It was one of the best models one could get and like the other gifts, worth more than anything she could afford.

Chloé stared in shock as Alya frowned, her brows furrowed in concentration. “How do we know there isn’t a hidden camera meant to catch you changing?”

Marinette shook her head wildly as she found a card in the bottom of the box. “I’d double they risk damaging something this expensive to do that.” She opened the card and frowned, confused at the message. 

_ I love your work and would love to meet you.  _

_ Please meet me at the Miracle Box tomorrow if you are okay with it.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ A.A. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge shout out to [Angylle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angylle) for doing an amazing beta read!
> 
> Wanna read more stories? Be sure to check my other stories [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattered_Heartless/works) and please subscribe to my profile for new stories yet to come!
> 
> [Click here to join the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server](https://discord.gg/PjNZgsf) and hangout with an amazing group of writers and readers alike

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shout out to [Angylle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angylle) for being my beta reader!
> 
> Love reading fanfic? Join the [Miraculous Fanfiction Discord Server](https://discord.gg/PjNZgsf)


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